There will be dancing in the streets once again as Peekskill presents the 4th Annual Peekskill Jazz & Blues Festival, a free outdoor concert featuring local artists who will share both their talents and their love of music. The free concert will take place on Saturday, July 31st from 4:00 – 10:00 pm, at the intersection of Central Avenue and North Division Street. This year, Peekskill is proud to welcome late night jazz host Sheila Anderson of Jazz88 (WBGO FM), who will be hosting the evening’s festivities.

The Peekskill Jazz & Blues Festival attracts thousands of people to Peekskill’s historic Arts District. Families come to enjoy the music, food and fun. The streets are closed to traffic and many local restaurants will offer outdoor dining, including 12 Grapes, Division Street Grill and Rubens Mexican Café on North Division Street as well as nearby Bean Runner Café on Brown Street.

This year, five different bands are scheduled to perform at the Jazz & Blues Festival, each playing 55-minute sets. Jazz, Blues and Swing will be taken to new heights with the caliber of exceptional talent in this year’s line-up.

Festival Entertainment Schedule

4:00 – Opening Ceremony
Featuring Late-Night Radio Personality, Shelia E. Anderson, of WBGO, “Jazz88” FM.

4:15 – The Steve Frieder Quintet
Steven Frieder is a 19-year-old jazz saxophonist who’s been performing in and around Peekskill for years. He’s a Manhattan School of Music Sophomore who will be joined by four other young, talented jazz musicians—Ivan Rosenberg on trumpet, Jason Burger on drums, Chris Talio on bass and Luke Franco on guitar.

5:30 – SAGE
An all-women jazz, blues and contemporary ensemble, SAGE features six outstanding female musicians who’ve performed with legends like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, the Duke Ellington Show Choir and others. Style, beauty and musicianship are the trademarks of this one-of-a-kind ensemble, which has no limits on repertoire and vision. SAGE features Bernice Brooks on drums, Lakecia Benjamin on saxophone, Kersten Stevens on violin, Miriam Sullivan on bass, Ragan Whiteside on flute & vocals, and Miki Hayama on piano.

6:45 – Blues Buddha Band
“Tommy Dudley doesn't ask you politely to get up and dance. No… once you hear his music, it will tear you off your seat and point your feet towards your best dancin' shoes.” So says Blues Underground Network in their recent 5-Star review of The Blues Buddha’s CD, “I Like It A Lot”. And his fans couldn’t agree more. Local followers have come to know and love Tommy “Buddha” from his many gigs at 12 Grapes, flocking to the dance floor every time. His vocals are powerful and his spirit is infectious. If you've never seen the Blues Buddha Band, you're missing out on one of the most fun and exciting Blues acts in the Tri-State area.

8:00 – “Sweet Poppa” Lou & the Lou Donaldson Quartet
Jazz critics call Lou Donaldson “one of the greatest alto saxophonists of all time”. Lou was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and is the recipient of countless additional honors and awards for his outstanding contributions to Jazz. Today, at age 83, Lou continues to play at his very best, entertaining audiences worldwide with spirited performances that are always soulful, thoroughly swinging, and steeped in the Blues. Lou’s hits on Blue Note Records are still high-demand favorites and today, he is the label’s oldest musician from that notable era of Jazz.

9:15 – The George Gee Swing Orchestra
The George Gee Swing Orchestra was the first Swing Band to be featured on MTV, and just this summer, they performed in a battle of East Coast vs. West Coast Swing Bands called “Midsummer Night’s Swing” at Lincoln Center. George Gee’s Swing Orchestra has been hailed as the #1 swing dance band by legends like Frankie Manning and Dawn Hampton – and dedicated fans around the world. Last year, George and the Big Band performed on a double bill with The Count Basie Orchestra at The Zurich Arts Festival in Switzerland before an enthusiastic audience of over 15,000. George Gee is the first Chinese-American Big Band leader, and the diversity of this lively band spreads the joy of swing music everywhere they go.

This year’s 4th Annual Peekskill Jazz and Blues Festival is sponsored by D. Bertoline & Sons and the Peekskill Business Improvement District and is the highlight of the Downtown Entertainment Series presented by the BID, which features live music on the streets of Peekskill every Saturday night during the summer.

For more information, visit downtownpeekskill.com.